Chapter 48 The Facility

• The ride north through the moonlit countryside felt like a funeral procession. Our unlikely alliance— myself, Aldric, Kael, Lord Cassius, with a handful of his soldiers, Lydia with her mysterious guards, and Dorian, in whatever form he was currently maintaining—moved in tense silence through terrain that grew more desolate with each mile.
• The Armor of Echoes had adapted to horseback riding, its bone plates shifting to accommodate the movement while maintaining their protective properties. Through its enhanced senses, I could feel the wrongness growing stronger as we approached our destination. The very air seemed thick with malevolent potential, as if reality itself was beginning to fray at the edges.
• "Tell me about this facility," I said to Lydia, who rode beside me with the easy grace of someone who'd spent years in the saddle.